The present invention relates to a compact, throw-away, or disposable mouth-to-mouth resuscitation device.
Resuscitation devices are provided in order to be able to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while at the same time avoiding direct lip contact with a patient. It is also desirable to be able to prevent a back flow to a rescuer from the mouth or nose of a person on whom the device is being used. Such devices are also very desirable for use in training classes, either with a live subject or with a CPR-type doll, especially for sanitary reasons.
Known resuscitation devices are not compact enough to be conveniently carried in a wallet, pocket, or purse, and/or are too expensive to be disposable. Examples of known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,237, Kaiser, Dec. 8, 1987, which is concerned with a different problem, inasmuch as it is provided for use on a CPR doll, and merely comprises a protective barrier sheet with a central opening but no one-way check-type valve; U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,931, Henderson et al, issued Apr. 16, 1985, which comprises a laminate of porous material, thus again not providing a one-way valve; U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,457, Davidson, issued Sept. 27, 1977, and comprising a sheet of thin flexible material that is provided with an unobstructed opening, i.e., is not provided with any type of check valve; U.S. Pat. No . 3 626,936 Daniel George John Barker, issued Dec. 14, 1971, including a valve device, the drawback of which is that it includes a substantially rigid valve plate and can therefore not fulfill the purposes outlined above; and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 27 42 213, published Mar. 22, 1979, which, as indicated in claim 1, comprises a centrally reinforced rectangular plastic sheet with a non-return valve, a muslin panel, and an oblong plastic bar to separate the tongue of the patient from the roof of the mouth. None of the aforementioned devices have proven to be satisfactory in fulfilling the aforementioned purposes.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compact, efficient mouth-to-mouth resuscitation device that is inexpensive enough to be disposable.